(Intro music)

Hey guys. Just a quick note before we start: Please stay tuned 'till the end of this video for a super special announcement from me about something that I'm very excited about.

Ok, (hand claps) video starts.

Here's the question of the day, 'How do you achieve your childhood dreams?"

I am here to tell you that I think that it's absolutely possible and easier than you might imagine. Especially if you approach things in the right way.

Now before we start, it helps to know exactly what we mean by the term 'childhood dreams'.

If your dream was to become Lance Bass, I don't wanna sound jerky, but short of finding yourself in a 1980's body switch comedy you're probably not going to become Lance Bass.

There's a difference between a dream and a fantasy.

Of course, that lead to the question 'How do I tell the difference between a dream and a fantasy?'

We'll get there in a minute. First:

Step One: Identify the dream.

Whether it's to be a stay at home dad or a WMBA MVP, write it down.

For the purposes of this video we're going to use a dream example that is pretty common: become an astronaut.

Step Two: Examine the specific what

What is it specifically about the dream that make you wanna pursue it?
If you wanna be an astronaut, is it because you wanna experience zero gravity? Be part of a select few? Study outer space?

Step Three: Examine the specific why

Why do you wanna be an astronaut? There are secrets hidden within your childhood dreams. 'Cause here's the thing about dreams, goals, etc. I don't think we're actually motivated by them, I think we're motivated by how we think that those things are going to make us feel.
So ask yourself what emotion or meaning are you really going after? Is it significance, wonder, excitement? From there you can go to:

Step Four: With the what and the why, widen the target

Listen, we all know that the true is that some jobs are very hard to get. I'm not saying at all that you shouldn't pursue them, only that there may be other ways to get the things you want, too.

After all, it would be incredibly sad to tell yourself your whole life that the only way you can be happy is if you make it to the International Space Station. Your job as an adult is to find way to get the feelings you're longing for.

Maybe you're looking for excitement, if so, maybe you could try a zero-G flight, or go to Space Camp, or do something counter intuitive, like, white water rafting, or skydiving.

If you wanted to explore and learn, could you do that through astronomy classes? Or maybe online resources, or your own telescope?

Or maybe you're looking for the significance you think will come from being part of an exclusive club. If so, maybe try volunteering. It's an adulthood secret that one of the best ways to feel better about yourself is to help other people.

As for actually accomplishing your goals, you can check out our anti-procrastination video, which has a lot of helpful tips for getting things done.

Step Five: Give up (WHAT?!?!)

J.K. (Oh, ok)

Kinda (WHAT?!)

Hey, here's an inspiring adulthood secret: a lot of adulthood is about cost-benefit analysis. If pursuing something is making you miserable, there does come a time when you should pivot - not give up - but pivot, maybe like a WMBA MVP, to another dream.

Corny as it may sound, sometimes you have to give up your original dream to find your calling. And if any one thing comes to represent all you hopes to happiness, that is dangerous territory.

Is being an astronaut the only way to make you happy? If so, you know what? Go for all that spacey goodness. But if not, remember that Step Five is also known as:

Make new dreams!!!

As humans, we need goals.

If it seems like I've spent this video telling you to achieve your dreams by changing them, well, that's not entirely the point. What I'm trying to say is that we should get to know ourselves well enough that we're not beholden to a single vision of joy.

As Hank Green said: "Past you didn't know as much as present you". So, grow and pursue dreams you didn't know about as a child. Let present you be as awesome as they can be.

Ok, special message time.

There's kind of a question behind the question of this video, which is "Can you experience childlike wonder when you can no longer be a child?". I think you can, which is why I wrote my new book 'Mr. Fahrenheit which comes out April 19th to prove it.

'Mr Fahrenheit is like a catalog of my own childhood dreams. It's about four high school seniors who one night accidentally shoot down an alien spaceship and decide to keep it a secret to... deadly consequences. And it would really mean the world to me if you guys could check it out.

I'm giving away a ton of prizes, including having a character named after you in my next book, and like, winning free copies of my books for life. There's just a ton of stuff going on.

All you have to do to enter is to post a picture of your copy of the book on social media using the hashtags #MrFahrenheit and #Sweeps. Do this by April 25th at 11:59 PM EST and you will be entered into the giveaway.

Links to buy the book and full info about the giveaway can be found in the dooblydoo below. Seriously you guys, I love you so much, thank you for being a part of my life, and I'll see you soon. Bye (blows a kiss)